Nothing great happened from episode to episode and it was hokey as those fake anthuriums placed randomly on every bush and tree, but it was enough to give pleasure to fans of the show.
7) "Lady of the Evening/The Racer"—Carol Lynley guests again, this time as a call girl wanting to be judged for the person she is, not the way she earns her money. Jerry Van Dyke ("My Mother, the Car") also stars. In the other episode about a race car driver hoping to rid himself of nightmares by confronting the crash that nearly killed him, Christopher George ("Desert Rats"), Alan Hale ("Gilligan's Island") and singer Carol Lawrence star.
8) "Treasure Hunt/Beauty Contest"—While a couple (Michael Callan and Jo Ann Harris) wants to search for buried treasure, a 19 year old (Maureen McCormick, "The Brady Bunch") wants to be a beauty pageant winner. Gene Barry ("Bat Masterson") also stars.
9) "The Funny Girl/Butch and Sundance"—A comic wishes he were unknown in an episode starring Dennis Cole ("Bearcats") and Marcia Strassman ("Welcome Back, Kotter"). Meanwhile, two men fantasize about being Butch and Sundance in an episode starring Christopher Connelly and James MacArthur ("Hawaii Five-O").
10) "Superstar/Salem"—A few real-life Dodgers and Gary Burghoff ("M*A*S*H") star in an episode about an accountant dreaming of becoming a baseball star, while a couple seeking immortality in the past ends up being accused of being witches. Leslie Nielsen ("The Naked Gun"), Vera Miles, and Stuart Whitman appear.
11) "Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man"—Bernie Kopell ("The Love Boat") and Nancy Walker ("Rhoda") star in an episode about a henpecked husband wanting respect, while Don Knotts ("The Andy Griffith Show") and Lynda Day George star in an episode about a process server who wishes to be a private eye.
12) "The Over-the-Hill Caper/Poof, You're a Movie Star"—Old-timers Ray Bolger, Foster Brooks, Tom Ewell, Phil Foster, and Harriet Nelson star in an episode about the leader of a gang who wants to reunite everyone for one last job. In the other episode, Barbi Benton ("Hee Haw") stars as a woman who wants to make it in Hollywood. Talk about type-casting.
13) "Reunion/Anniversary"—Michele Lee ("Knots Landing") stars with Pam Franklin and Sue Lyon in an episode about cheerleaders wanting to relive their high school glory years, while Lucie Arnaz, Ronnie Cox ("St. Elsewhere"), and Jim Backus ("Gilligan's Island") star in an episode about a couple hoping to recapture the magic of their wedding day.
14) "King for a Day/Instant Family"—David Doyle ("Charlie's Angels") guests in an episode about a plumber who wants to be king, while Jane Wyatt ("Father Knows Best") guests in an episode about a college grad who dreams of working for a famous child psychiatrist.
15) "Fool for a Client/Double Your Pleasure"—Comedian Rich Little is joined by Mary Ann Mobley and Lana wood in an episode about a paralegal who wants to be the big successful lawyer and Ken Berry ("F-Troop") stars in an episode about an Alaskan pipeline worker who wins a date with twins.
16) "Call Me Lucky/Torch Song"—Richard Dawson ("Hogan's Heroes") stars in an episode about a gambler who wants to be the luckiest man in the world, while Edd Byrnes ("77 Sunset Strip") and Kathryn Holcomb star in an episode about a woman who dreams of becoming a Roaring '20s torch singer as famous as her grandmother. Football player Dick Butkus also puts in an appearance this week.
There are 775 minutes of episodes, most of them mildly entertaining, with some a little more hokey and laughable than others.
Video: The box boasts that the episodes are "re-mastered in High Definition," but I don't see the difference between the picture quality of this series and any other shows that came out of the Seventies. In fact, the second episode, "Return to Fantasy Island," is so grainy and washed-out that I couldn't watch it all the way through. Thankfully, that's the only episode that doesn't seem to have survived. Otherwise, that's a lot of eyestrain for a little diversion. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1, as usual, and the quality overall is okay.
Audio: Here too, the audio is acceptable, but if it's Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, there's very little separation. I can't even tell, with my ears to the speakers, whether it's mono or stereo. Thankfully, except for the well-known theme song and musical segues, it's all dialogue and sound effects.
Extras: There are average two short features, "Creating the Fantasy" and "Spending the Day at Fantasy Island," along with the original promotional teasers. There's no behind-the-scenes footage, but Goldberg appears on camera talking about the genesis of the show and the show's first season, along with writer Ron Friedman and the agent for the two stars. On the other short feature, some of the guest stars appear on-camera to reminisce. Barbeau
Bottom Line: As much as the characters on "Fantasy Island," viewers were able to escape each week for an hour of light entertainment and dramatic intrigue. Nothing great happened from episode to episode and it was hokey as those fake anthuriums placed randomly on every bush and tree, but it was enough to give pleasure to fans of the show.
8) "Treasure Hunt/Beauty Contest"—While a couple (Michael Callan and Jo Ann Harris) wants to search for buried treasure, a 19 year old (Maureen McCormick, "The Brady Bunch") wants to be a beauty pageant winner. Gene Barry ("Bat Masterson") also stars.
9) "The Funny Girl/Butch and Sundance"—A comic wishes he were unknown in an episode starring Dennis Cole ("Bearcats") and Marcia Strassman ("Welcome Back, Kotter"). Meanwhile, two men fantasize about being Butch and Sundance in an episode starring Christopher Connelly and James MacArthur ("Hawaii Five-O").
10) "Superstar/Salem"—A few real-life Dodgers and Gary Burghoff ("M*A*S*H") star in an episode about an accountant dreaming of becoming a baseball star, while a couple seeking immortality in the past ends up being accused of being witches. Leslie Nielsen ("The Naked Gun"), Vera Miles, and Stuart Whitman appear.
11) "Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man"—Bernie Kopell ("The Love Boat") and Nancy Walker ("Rhoda") star in an episode about a henpecked husband wanting respect, while Don Knotts ("The Andy Griffith Show") and Lynda Day George star in an episode about a process server who wishes to be a private eye.
12) "The Over-the-Hill Caper/Poof, You're a Movie Star"—Old-timers Ray Bolger, Foster Brooks, Tom Ewell, Phil Foster, and Harriet Nelson star in an episode about the leader of a gang who wants to reunite everyone for one last job. In the other episode, Barbi Benton ("Hee Haw") stars as a woman who wants to make it in Hollywood. Talk about type-casting.
13) "Reunion/Anniversary"—Michele Lee ("Knots Landing") stars with Pam Franklin and Sue Lyon in an episode about cheerleaders wanting to relive their high school glory years, while Lucie Arnaz, Ronnie Cox ("St. Elsewhere"), and Jim Backus ("Gilligan's Island") star in an episode about a couple hoping to recapture the magic of their wedding day.
14) "King for a Day/Instant Family"—David Doyle ("Charlie's Angels") guests in an episode about a plumber who wants to be king, while Jane Wyatt ("Father Knows Best") guests in an episode about a college grad who dreams of working for a famous child psychiatrist.
15) "Fool for a Client/Double Your Pleasure"—Comedian Rich Little is joined by Mary Ann Mobley and Lana wood in an episode about a paralegal who wants to be the big successful lawyer and Ken Berry ("F-Troop") stars in an episode about an Alaskan pipeline worker who wins a date with twins.
16) "Call Me Lucky/Torch Song"—Richard Dawson ("Hogan's Heroes") stars in an episode about a gambler who wants to be the luckiest man in the world, while Edd Byrnes ("77 Sunset Strip") and Kathryn Holcomb star in an episode about a woman who dreams of becoming a Roaring '20s torch singer as famous as her grandmother. Football player Dick Butkus also puts in an appearance this week.
There are 775 minutes of episodes, most of them mildly entertaining, with some a little more hokey and laughable than others.
Video: The box boasts that the episodes are "re-mastered in High Definition," but I don't see the difference between the picture quality of this series and any other shows that came out of the Seventies. In fact, the second episode, "Return to Fantasy Island," is so grainy and washed-out that I couldn't watch it all the way through. Thankfully, that's the only episode that doesn't seem to have survived. Otherwise, that's a lot of eyestrain for a little diversion. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1, as usual, and the quality overall is okay.
Audio: Here too, the audio is acceptable, but if it's Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, there's very little separation. I can't even tell, with my ears to the speakers, whether it's mono or stereo. Thankfully, except for the well-known theme song and musical segues, it's all dialogue and sound effects.
Extras: There are average two short features, "Creating the Fantasy" and "Spending the Day at Fantasy Island," along with the original promotional teasers. There's no behind-the-scenes footage, but Goldberg appears on camera talking about the genesis of the show and the show's first season, along with writer Ron Friedman and the agent for the two stars. On the other short feature, some of the guest stars appear on-camera to reminisce. Barbeau
Bottom Line: As much as the characters on "Fantasy Island," viewers were able to escape each week for an hour of light entertainment and dramatic intrigue. Nothing great happened from episode to episode and it was hokey as those fake anthuriums placed randomly on every bush and tree, but it was enough to give pleasure to fans of the show.
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[release]16907[/release]